Newsletter

Two killed in separate vehicle accidents Sunday morning

Both accidents involved semitrailers

The Department of Public Safety was called out to two separate accidents resulting in fatalities Sunday morning.

Lubbock DPS Cpl. John Gonzalez said helicopter response and troopers from Amarillo, Hereford and Dimmitt were called out to an accident involving a semitrailer and a van near Hereford around 10:40 a.m.

Levelland resident Lyndon Howard, 52, was traveling southeast on U.S. 385 in a semitrailer, three miles south of Hereford when he hit a car attempting to turn north on County Road GG, police said.

The report said Dimmitt resident Berta Maldonado, 22, was traveling in the 2009 Ford van in front of Howard in the north lane. She merged over to the south lane and attempted to turn north from the south shoulder lane, troopers said. The report said Howard tried to take evasive maneuvers to avoid contact with Maldonado but failed.

Gonzalez said Howard’s 2012 semitrailer struck the van, causing it to run off the road into a ditch. The van came to rest facing north after striking a tree on its right side, troopers said.

Troopers said Howard’s semitrailer then ran into the same ditch, landed on its left side and came to rest facing northwest.

“Since the semi was so big, it didn’t roll,” said Gonzalez. “Had it been a normal car, it would have.”

Officials said Maldonado suffered leg injuries and was transported to Northwestern Texas hospital in Amarillo. She is reported to be in stable condition, Gonzales said.

Gonzales said Karen Boren, Deaf Smith County justice of the peace, pronounced Howard dead at the scene at 10:43 a.m.

Both parties were reported to be wearing seat belts.

An hour later, Canyon DPS troopers were called out to a second fatality on the service road of Interstate 27.

Troopers said Brownfield resident Billy Elrod, 77, was traveling northbound on the service road, south of Canyon, in a 1995 semitrailer pulling a flat-bed trailer when he entered the curve at an unsafe speed. The report said Elrod’s semitrailer flipped over on its right side, landing on its top 30 feet south of Hungate Road.

DPS arrived on scene to investigate and Jerry Bigham, Randall County justice of the peace, pronounced Elrod dead at the scene at 11:43 a.m., Gonzalez said.

Troopers said they are not sure how fast Elrod was driving, but he was reported to be wearing a seat belt.